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Trilliant Culture
The dominant theme of both the organizational culture of the Trilliant Ring and the popular culture of Trillia IX is the pursuit of perfection. Influenced heavily by the immortality offered by Life-Extension Therapy and the popularity of physical augmentation, Trillian culture has been shaped by the idea that given sufficient time any skill is acquirable, any status or life state is attainable, and constantly striving to improve oneself is the life best lived. Society focuses less on what someone has acquired or what natural talents they possess, and more on seeking to better oneself. This culture has development into a society that values individuality, ambition, self-expression, and personal freedom. It is also a culture that broadly promotes integration, rather than assimilation. Trillia IX boasts an open society that seeks to integrate and learn lessons from other cultures, rather than wishing others adapt in order to fit in. As such, it is a jumble of customs and values reflecting the diverse backgrounds and interests of its members. Eccentricities are encouraged and are appreciated for the value and novelty they bring to society. The society's preoccupation with personal improvement has shaped popular culture dramatically. It is a society which admires practice and effort while admonishing complacency. Therefore, cultural activities which have no rigidly defined "perfect state" tend to be very popular, especially those which promote individual expression or show devotion to a specific craft. Fashion, musical instruments, body modification, craftsmanship, and contests or games of skill have become an integral part of popular culture on Trillia IX. Social Structure M''ain article: Organization of the Trilliant Ring '' Members of the Trilliant Ring describe it as a “true meritocracy,” where people from all walks of life will be evaluated and elevated strictly upon their talents, cleverness, and ambition. In reality, this is not precisely true. It is all but unheard of for members of the Functionary Class to advance to the Lower Echelon, as they are considered mere “worker drones” or “cogs in the machine” to the rest of the Trilliant Ring. It is possible, though not particularly common, for members of Trilliant Ring’s Lower Echelon to advance to the ranks of the Upper Echelon. Doing so primarily requires excellent connections within the Upper Echelon, though the individual’s personal projects are also important when considering whether they should be promoted. Despite this, Trilliant’s Upper and Lower Echelons mingle frequently in both professional and social situations. The Trilliant Ring prides itself on its cooperative creativity and encourages members to work together in order to develop new ideas and better products. The connections formed in these professional and social environments are particularly essential to members of the Lower Echelon, as they will need support from the Upper Echelon in order to advance. Something of a cult of personality tends to develop around each of the members of the Upper Echelon. Some are reclusive while others are charismatic and willing to mentor promising underlings. However, all are watched closely by their subordinates in an attempt to discern what qualities and achievements are needed to receive their support for a promotion. Language Trillians primarily speak the Imperial Common language when dealing with outsiders, though Trillia IX natives and those who have lived on the planetary ring for many years are noted to develop an unusual accent and dialect. Linguists believe the dialect is reminiscent of some older versions of Common, but it is unclear whether Trillians speak this way as something inherited from earlier generations or merely because they think it sounds “Trill.” In business dealings Trilliant Ring members will often use Corp Cant, both as a way to efficiently convey their intentions to other corporate entities and to obfuscate their intentions to corporate outsiders. To one another, Trillians use a limited sign language to accompany their Common dialect. It is known that the hand gestures convey some additional meanings and depth in conversations, but the precise interpretations of these signs are a cultural affectation that isn't fully understood by outsiders. Newcomers to Trillia IX are occasionally put off by these signs, as some of them are very similar to rude gestures used by other cultures in the sector. Cultural Customs Body Alterations Body alterations in a wide variety of forms are extremely common among members of the Trilliant Ring. These range from relatively simple temporary changes (such as tattoos, earrings, or the use of Glamour Skin augments to visually alter one’s appearance) to major augmentations (such as the surgical addition of wings, full-body hair removal, excess limbs, or other oddities). Because body alterations are common and Trillians enjoy showing off their modes of self-expression, customs regarding nudity are very relaxed on Trillia IX. Though this remains a matter of personal preference, it is not uncommon to see clothing that has been tailored to expose portions of a person’s body, particularly areas which have been altered. What Happens on Trillia, Stays on Trillia Trillia IX has a reputation for being a place where its inhabitants and visitors can have whatever they want, whenever they want it. With such a socially permissive culture, it is an unwritten rule and understood norm among Trillians that behavior and actions which might elsewhere be considered illegal or socially unacceptable shall not be mentioned outside of Trillia IX. This courtesy is also extended to guests to the planet, whose privacy will be upheld at all costs, unless - of course - it is necessary to blackmail them. This has led to Trillia IX - and the Trilliant Ring more broadly - espousing a very open culture that promotes personal experimentation. Rather than passing judgment on those who seek socially unexplored acts, individuals are expected to reserve judgment until they have tried something themselves. Trillians tend to react positively to another person's willingness to experiment. Those who experiment more broadly or aggressively are admired, in a sense, for their openness to explore and "improve" their breadth of experience, rather than being denigrated for seeking or needing peculiar vices. Relationship with Imperial Law This is not to say that Trillia IX is lawless, however. Officially, the Trilliant Ring enforces Imperial laws. Intellectual property laws in particular are strictly upheld. It is essential that Trilliant Ring members be properly credited for their designs and achievements to have any chance to advance to the Upper (or even Lower) Echelon. This tying of social advancement to creative enterprise has solidified property rights and accreditation as deeply important laws to uphold. When necessary, the Trilliant Ring reaches out to House Crux for assistance enforcing their intellectual property claims against external organizations. This also means that plagiarism is a serious crime on Trillia IX and taking credit for another person's achievements is socially unacceptable. Properly acknowledging the effort of others is an essential part of earning and sharing social capital within workplaces, social circles, and families. Stealing ideas, work, or failing to acknowledge the work of a coworker (even a subordinate) is a significant faux-pas that is likely to make one a social pariah. Funeral Traditions With the Trilliant Ring’s focus on life-extension therapy, death is something which occurs rarely and is seen as a great tragedy. Those few Trillians who prepare and watch over the dead are known as Shapers of the Penultimate Moment. They live in one of the only permanent structures located on Trillia IX’s harsh surface, where the bodies of deceased members of the Upper and Lower Echelons are also kept. When a Trillian dies, an extravagant memorial is held in their honor to celebrate their life, achievements, and ambition. Typically these gatherings begin somberly enough, as is fitting for the sense of failure which is felt by Trillians when one of their number dies. But over the course of the memorial, which may last for several days if it is honoring a member of the Upper Echelon, the tone changes to one of joyful celebration of the person’s life. As the Trilliant Ring envisions itself as a source of vitality and exuberance, a gathering of several Trillians will eventually become a party, even when convened under the gravest of circumstances. The final resting place for deceased Trilliants is contained within a large golden pyramid on the planet’s surface known as the Vault. There, the bodies of Trilliant’s dead are preserved in glass display cases, adorned with whatever garments and accessories they specified while they were still living. These transparent sarcophagi ensure that the deceased’s efforts toward self-improvement will be appreciated even after their death. The Trilliant Ring has an ongoing agreement with House Lyra that a member of the Order of Neshmet may be contracted to perform a personalized funeral if this was the wish of the deceased. After the Neshmet's preparation of the body and performance of the funeral ceremony is complete, the deceased will then be laid to rest within the Vault. Entertainment As Trillia IX is known as a planet that provides entertainment to many throughout the sector, it is only fitting that Trillians themselves have access to the same pleasures available to tourists. For those Trillians who prefer a more exclusive atmosphere, there are Trilliant-only pleasure palaces and entertainment districts, far from those available to the planet’s visitors. Large, joyous gatherings are a frequent occurrence and may often move from one location to the next over the course of several hours or even days. The bacchanalian revelries are the stuff of legends to outsiders lucky enough to observe them. Like the rest of the sector, Trillians enjoy the entertainment programming offered by the PRISM Network and also look to PRISM for news stories and updates. The Trilliant Ring has also developed an internal media channel known as Trillivison. Trillivision is broadcast to all Facets in the sector as well as on Trillia IX. Most programming centers on current fashion, music, and popular culture, while also featuring frequent “advertainment” pieces to promote various Trilliant products. The most watched program on Trillivision is End of the Trends, which lists fads that have officially gone out of style on Trillia IX and are therefore ready for consumption on other worlds. Though a feature on End of the Trends is an immediate death sentence for a fad on Trillia, it is typically the first time that non-Trillians will hear of the fad and begin to pick it up themselves. A dead Trilliant trend is still extremely fashionable anywhere other than Trillia itself, thus making the show’s title an amusing paradox to Trillians. Fashion Trilliant fashion is as eclectic as Trillians themselves. Because the Trilliant Ring recruits its talent from the entire system, customs and fashions from all over the sector also make their way to Trillia. Just as body alterations are frequent and encouraged because they allow Trillians to realize any version of themselves they imagine, so too is fashion a way for Trillians to show off who they really are. Fashion trends often come and go swiftly and extravagantly. Influential Trillians are responsible - consciously or otherwise - for shaping these trends for all of Trillia IX. A member of the Upper Echelon may appear in a cactus-shaped dress at the start of the week and - by mid-week - everyone on Trillia will be wearing cactus-shaped dresses embellished with some personal addition to make the trend their own. A trend like this would last for a week at most on Trillia IX, at which point it may be picked up by one of Trilliant’s fashion brands to be produced on a larger scale and sold at Facets off-world. Impromptu fashion shows are a common sight in Trillia’s entertainment districts. There are runways upon which any Trillian may decide to show off their current fashion to passersby. The runways include technology that identifies and broadcasts data on what the model is wearing, including any alterations that the individual made themselves, as well as data on the model’s body augmentations. Trillians may broadcast their own musical and lighting arrangements to accompany their walks, and there is a vibrant sense of competition surrounding the development of these arrangements. Passersby can rate each participant's runway show on a variety of criteria, and the most highly-rated shows are rebroadcast on Trillivision’s RUNWAY program each night. Category:The Trilliant Ring Category:Entertainment